Tamper revealing identification card



Feb. 5, 1957 N. wHn-EHEAD TAMPER REVEALING IDENTIFICATION CARD FiledJune 15. 1954 1NvENToR new am BY E l ATToRNYs United States Patent()TAMPER REVEALING IDENTIFICATION CARD Ned Whitehead, San Juan, PuertoRico Application June 15, 1954, Serial No. 436,855

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-2.2)

The present invention relates in general to identification cards andbadges, particularly of the type carried by members of the Armed Forcesand government employees associated with activities subject to strictsecurity regulations, and has particular relation to identificationcards having easily distinguishable characteristics when attempts havebeen made to alter or tamper with the card.

Heretofore, many identification cards and badges provided for workers inactivities requiring extensive security precautions have been composedof a paper base or backing member upon which the name of the employerand employee and descriptive information identifying the employee areprinted, which paper backing member is thermoplastically sealed betweensheets of thermoplastic material such as cellulose acetate or vinylacetate to preserve the identification card. The purpose of thethermoplastically sealed cover sheets for the card is to discouragealteration of the identification indica on the card by unauthorizedpersons seeking unauthorized admission to the grounds on which therestricted activities are conducted.

It has been found, however, that this laminated type of identificationcard may be fairly readily altered by cutting around edges of thethermoplastically sealed cover sheets to split the plastic cover sheetsoff the paper backing, altering the identification indicia on the paperbacking, and covering the front surface of the card with a new celluloseacetate or other clear thermoplastic sheet material which is glued orthermoplastically sealed in position. Likewise, successful attempts atalteration of such identification cards have been made by dissolving thethermoplastic covers off the paper backing in a ketone or ester or othersolvent for the cellulose acetate or like material, after which theidentification indicia on the exposed paper backing can be altered andnew thermoplastic sheets secured in covering relation over the alteredpaper backing. These alteration techniques have been successfullyaccomplished with a sufficiently high degree of skill that thesubstitution is not readily noticeable to the guards examining the`identification cards.

An attempt has been made to discourage chemical alteration of suchidentification cards by dissolving the.

thermoplastic covers in ketones or other solvents, which involves theprinting of the identification indicia and all other matter on the paperbacking in an ink'or other medium that will be dissolved by the samesolvent that dissolves the transparent cover so that all printing orother marks on the paper backing are eliminated when the thermoplasticcovers have been dissolved. These efforts to discourage forgeries andalterations have not met with complete success, however, since thoseseeking unauthorized admission have been able to reprint the paperbacking,l which is usually formed with substantially non-reproduceabledistinguishing watermarks, with copies or facsimiles of the printedmatter originally on'the card 2,780,015 Patented Feb. 5, 1957 ICC whichso closely simulates the color and pattern of the original card thatdetection of the alteration of the card is difficult. Accordingly, anobject of the present invention is the provision of an identificationcard of the laminated type in which the printed matter on the paperbacking of the card is altered to produce readily detectablecharacteristics when the thermoplastic cover sheets have been subjectedto solvents in which the thermoplastic sheets are soluble.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novelidentification card of the type having printed matter and identifyingindicia on a paper backing member covered by sheets of thermoplasticmaterial,

wherein the ink on the paper backing is altered in char-v ofthermoplastic material, wherein the printedmatter the thermoplasticsheet material.

is altered by any of the chemical solvents in which the sheets ofthermoplastic material are dissolvable and` changed to a form whichresists accurate reproduction of the original appearance of the card.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novelidentification card of the type having printed matter on a paper backingcovered by sheets of thermoplastic material, wherein the printed matteris formed in ink having pigment elements of one color which are notsoluble in any of the chemical solvents for dissolving the thermoplasticcovers mixed with pigment elements of a different color which aredissolvable in any of the solvents for dissolving the thermoplasticcovers so that the color of the printed matter on the card is changedwhen the plastic covers are exposed to chemical solvents.

Other objects, avantages and capabilities of the pres-iy ent inventionwill become apparent from the following detail description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, illustrating one preferredembodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a front plan View of an identification card made inconformance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective View of the identiiication cardillustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front plan View of the identification card illustratingthe appearance of the card after a portion of the same has beensubjected to a solvent for dissolving Referring to the drawing whereinlike reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral figures, the identication card embodying the present inventionis generally indicated bythe reference character 10 and includes arectangular paper backing descriptive informationregarding the party.

tification information, generally indicated by the refer-V encecharacter 13, such as the name of the issuing authority, the name of theparty to be identified, the signature of the party to be identified, andother pertinent The paper backing 11 with the printed matter thereon andthe descriptive information filled in, is then covered on both sideswith rectangular sheets 14 and 15 of clear .t thermoplastic material,which are preferably of vinyl acetate or cellulose acetate or acopolymer of vinyl acetate and vinyl chloride. The sheets 14 and 15 ofthermoplastic material are designed to be laminated into one unit underheat and pressure, as by the method and with the apparatus disclosed inmy earlier Patent No. 2,490,- lll, issued December 6, 1949.

It is well known that the principal clear thermoplastic sheet materialssuitable for use as the covers of such paper backings are soluble inketones and esters so that the thermoplastic covers can be readilydissolved away from the paper backing by such chemical compounds toexpose the paper backing and permit alteration of the identifyinginformation thereon. To discourage this method of alteration of theidentification card, the printed border 1,2 and identificationinformation 13, in accordance with the present invention, are formedwith a special ink having pigments of two or more colors which produceone distinctiveA combination color when both pigments are, present onthe card. However, one of the color pigments is readily soluble in thesame ketone and ester solvents in which the thermoplastic sheets 14 and1S are soluble, so that that pigment is dissolved when an attempt ismadey to dissolve theV thermoplastic covers 14 and` and the remaining,pigment which is insoluble in these solvents establishes a distinctivecolor which may bel readily detected by persons inspecting theidentification card.

In one preferred embodiment, illustrated in the draw-v ing, the border12 and identification information 13 are printed in an ink having avpigment known to the trade as Lead Chromate Yellow, which is mixed withpigments known as Victoria Blue, Tungstated Rhodamine and MalachiteGreen. These four pigments when combined in a single ink produce a greencolor. The Lead Chromate Yellow is insoluble in ketones and esters whilethe Victoria Blue, the Tungstated Rhodamine and the Malachite Green areall soluble in ketones and esters. Consequent- 1y, when theidentification card or portions thereof are subjectedto ketone or estersolvents to dissolve the thermoplastie sheets 14 and 15, lthe VictoriaBlue, Tungstated Rhodamine and Malachite Green pigments are alldissolved, and the color of the border and identification information onthe card is changed to that of the Lead Chromate Yellow pigment.Overprinting of the Lead Chromate Yellow pattern and identificationinformation or otherreprinting techniques to reproduce the originalcolor is resisted or discouraged7 since precise registration of thereprinting pattern with the Lead Chromate Yellow pattern is verydifficult to achieve, as is the selection of the proper reprinting inkor pigments which, when optically combined with the Lead ChromateYellow, restores thevoriginall color of the card.

Another Vink combination which has been found satisfactory is thecombining of Lead Chromate Yellow'pigments with Tungstated Rhodaminepigments. The cornbination of these two pigments in an ink yields a redcolor, whilethe removal of the Tungstated Rrhodamine pigments bydissolving the 'same in ketone and ester solventsrenders `the border andidentification information a yellow color, as determined by the LeadChromate Yellow.

A'third combination which has been found to be satis.- factory'is thecombination of Benzedine Yellowl with Victoria Blue. The BenzedineYellow is insoluble `in ketone,` andv ester, solvents and the VictoriaBlue is solvent in these,l compositions.

ti'onris that the ink, when mixed be composed of two or more colors,atleast one of the colored pigments ,being v The combination of theseUltwo 'colors gives a greenA color to the printed border and insoluble inat least the conventional solvents employed to dissolve thethermoplastic sheet material, while one or more of the other coloredpigments must bleed out on application of the solvent to theidentification card.

In order to discourage or prevent mechanical removal of thethermoplastic sheets 14, 15 from the paper backing 11, the paper backing11 is preferably impregnated with a thermoplastic material so as tovbond the paper backing to the cover sheets when the heat and pressure oflamination are applied to the backing and cover sheets to render thesecomponents homogeneous.

As a further precaution to prevent alteration of the card, the paperbacking 11 is Vtreated in the following manner:

To a solution of 100 grams of water is added 18 grams (dry Weight) ofaluminum sulfate. To another 100 grams of water is added 5 grams ofaluminum chloride (dry weight). These two solutions are mixed togetherin equal volume and to each 100 grams of this combined solution is addedlA gram of a wetting agent with nonionic characteristics, for example,alkylated aryl polyether alcohol. This solution is applied to thebacking Tri after the printing or lithographing 12 and 13 has beenplaced thereon. The temperature of the solution is held to approximatelyF. The backing 11 is thendried by dry air.

The purpose of this process is to make any aiteration'of theidentification card impossible by destroying the fi rc strength of thepaper insert during the heating process of lamination and render thepaper more compatible to the thermoplastic cover material to assure thatthe paper will remain laminated to the transparent covers when they areheated without pressure in an attempt to peel off the covers. Thissolution also increases the com-A patibility of the ink on the paper tothe thermoplastic cover without altering the appearance when the pagestrength is destroyed during lamination. When an attempt isv made toreseal a card after a first lamination by a second. lamination thethermoplastic material will melt,V flow and cause a distoration of thecard. Asthebackinghas no fibre strength, the result will be cracking anddiscoloring, which is readily apparent to an observer. It also preventsresealingby mechanicalmeans because there is no strength in the backing11 and it will readily absorbV any adhesive used, thus causing the faceof the card to become smeared or otherwise blemished.

While but one particular embodiment of the inven tion has beenparticularly shown and described, it is apparent that variousmodifications may be made in the invention without departing from thespirit and scopeV thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only suchlimitations shall. be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art andare set. forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an identification card, a paper backing member 0f substantially.rectangular shape, a pair of cover membersfoftransparent thermoplastic`sheet material coextensiveV with. said backing member andthermoplasticallyv sealed in surrounding relation with the same, saidcover members being soluble incertain solvents, and matter onatlcastoneface of the lbacking member printed with a colored inkvrhaving combined therein a first pigment of ay distinctiveA color whichis insoluble in said solvents and. at least a second pigment which isdissolvable inA saidl solvents. and which isof a `distinctive color fromsaid first pigments, the printed matter having throughout a color whichisthe product of -concurrence of said firstV and sec-y ond pigments andwhich. product color is changed toa readilyfdiscernible different colorby dissolving of the s'econdpig'ment upon application `to the card of hany of the solvents for dissolving said cover members.

2, In an identification card, a backing member of sheet material ofsubstantially rectangular shape, a pair of cover members of, transparentsheet material coegtjtensivey with'lsaid backing member and fixed insurrounding'Irela-` tion over the same, said `cover members beingsoluble in certain solvents, intricate design patterns on at least onefa-ce of the backing member printed with an ink having combined thereinink pigments of at least two colors, one group of said color pigmentsbeing insoluble in the solvents in which the `cover members are solubleand at least one other group of said color pigments being soluble insaid solvents, the lastmentioned group of said color pigments being of adistinctive color from said first-mentioned group, the coexistence `ofsaid pigments in the ink form- 10 ing said printed patterns producing adistinctive color which is changed to a readily distinguishable dierentcolor `determined predominantly by seid insoluble pigments upondissolving of the soluble pigments through application to the card ofsolvents for dissolving said 5 vcover members.

Butler Mar. 20, 1951 Whitehead Mar. 4, 1952

